Forget communism – the biggest threat to America in 1962 was an alien invasion. That’s what The Bureau would have you believe, anyway.

Known only to a select few, this top-secret government unit is tasked with investigating a string of mysterious extra-terrestrial attacks. Their mission is clear – survive, adapt and overcome the alien threat.

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You play Agent William Carter, who spearheads a team of three agents. What’s immediately noticeable is just how many elements The Bureau has borrowed from other successful games. Take the responsive, cover-based shooting that feels remarkably similar to Gears Of War. Or the ‘Battle Focus’ mode, reminiscent of the skill and command wheel in the Mass Effect games.

Both work well, with the latter allowing you to select one of your agents’ abilities and target specific enemies.

These range from putting up turrets to healing and providing cover. Basic commands such as ordering your team to hold position or move to specific points are done via the D-pad.

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Another nod to Mass Effect is evident in the way The Bureau has interwoven some of XCOM’s role-playing elements into levels.

Not only can members of your team die (and when they’re dead, they’re dead), but conversations with NPCs bring up a dialogue wheel that lets you choose how to respond. You answers will then affect the story.

Invasion: At its core, this is another cover-based shooter, but Mass Effect-style dialogue wheels help to shape the story. Sadly, there is no multiplayer - a move that may confuse some XCOM fans

Sadly, The Bureau feels like it's suffering from an identity crisis. The preview levels felt linear with little environmental interaction while it remains to be seen if there is enough narrative depth to stop the dynamic conversations feeling tacked on.

Firing the guns – be that alien or human – lacked punch, too. Part of Gears Of War's appeal was just how connected you felt to the weapons, and how different each one felt. In The Bureau, even the most powerful-looking ray gun felt like you were wielding a waterpistol.

The most shocking omission, though, comes in the lack of any sort of mutliplayer - especially as the team-based nature of The Buerau's core gameplay would lend itself to co-operative modes.

Graphically, the demo build was played on a PC and uses the Unreal 3 Engine. It holds up well, and some parts – for example when alien structures burst out of a residential street – are effective.

But this is an engine that has been used in hundreds of games and its wow factor has diminished.

Seen this before? The Battle Focus is very similar to Mass Effect's on-the-fly battle command system

The Bureau’s narrative will determine
whether this is a worthy entry into the XCOM universe, or one that 2K
will want to sweep under the carpet and deny all knowledge of its
existence.